Transfer valve for sterilization apparatus



March 22,1938.

TRANSFER VALVE FOR STERILIZATION APPARATUS A. HORNER 2,111,892

Filed Feb. 24, 1934 Z5 IN VEN TOR 30 ALEZ'B UE OBNEQ A TTORNE Y Patented Mar. 22, 19.38

roe STERILIZA'I'ION ARATUS TRANSFER VALVE APP Albert Homer, Kapaa,

PATE

NT OFFICE Kauai, Territory of Howail, assignor to Hawaiian Oanneries Company, Ltd., Kapaa, Kauai, Territory Ha- Application February 2 3 Claims.

The invention relates to a transfer valve for sterilization apparatus.

In the sterilization 0! food products in cans it is common to pass the cans containing products to be sterilized through a sterilization apparatus under conditions of high temperature and pres, sure. Under such conditions, however, it has been found that upon discharging the cans with their contents from the apparatus and under con- 1 ditions of atmospheric pressure, sudden volatilize.-

tion of the condensed water vapors in the can occurs. This produces a violent disturbance which deranges the product packed in the can, and may seriously injure this product so that it has no commercial value. It is the object of the present invention, therefore, to provide apparatus whereby when the canand its product emerge from a condition of high temperature and pressure to a condition of atmospheric pressure, the pressure may be gradually reduced, volatilizing the condensed water vapor in the can and insuring that the can will pass from the apparatus and into. a zone of reduced pressure without in-, jury to the contents of the can and without in 5 iany manner violently disturbing the cans conents.

In accomplishing my purpose, I use pressure apparatus and already existing can valve mechanisms, which valves are equipped with pockets 30 conveying the can from a zone of high pressure to a zone of atmospheric pressure. However, it is necessary to provide such valves with means for gradually reducing this pressure, and with means for retaining the contents of the can 35 within the can, and the present invention is more particularly concerned with this means.

Where liquids at high temperature and pressure have such pressure suddenly reduced, they volatilize with extreme rapidity, the gases passing- 40 to an exit by the shortest possible route. In so doing they disrupt the contents of the can which lie in the direct path of travel between the volatilizing liquid and its exit.

In accomplishing my purpose, the present in- 5 vention contemplates that I provide each valve pocket with a grid situated above the can, and as close as possible to it, there being no other passageway from the section otthe pocket below the grid to the section of the pocket above the 0 grid other than through the apertures in the grid itself whereby the volatilizing liquid must rise vertically from all parts of the can, and having reached the part of the pocket above the grid may then be led in any convenient direction to 55 the exterior of the valve. The speed with which,

4, 1934, Serial No. 712,778

the volatilization takes place is controlled by the size and number of exits provided:

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the apparatus with which the present invention is concerned.

Fi 2 is an enlarged view in horizontal section through the device as seen on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section as seen on the line 8-3 of Fig. 2 and showing the relationship of the grid to the can and its contents.

Referring more particularly to the drawing Iii indicates a closed container within which a desired relatively high temperature and fluid pressure prevails. As here shown and indicated in dotted lines, a helical cam runway II is formed within the container so that cans I! may pass therethrough along a prolonged path of travel while the contents of the cans are subjected to the sterilization action within the device. It will be understood that, in this particular instance. the upper caps of the cans have not been placed in position, thus insuring that the entire contents. of the can will be subjected to the high sterilization temperature and pressure. A rotary gate valve i3 is disposed at the upper end of the can runway II, and insures that cans may be drawn from a run of cans and thereafter successively introduced into the sterilization device without permitting the fluid from within the sterilization device to escape.

At the lower end of the container III, a gate valve structure I4 is provided. This valve constantly seals the lower end of the container Ill and at the same time permits the open cans and their contents to be discharged from the container. As has been previously explained, the cans and their contents are subjected to a relatively high temperature and pressure while they are within the container Ill, and it has been found that when the cans are subsequently withdrawn from the sterilization device and into a zone or normal room temperature and atmospheric pressure sudden volatilization of the condensed water vapors and other liquid in the can occurs. This in eflect produces an explosion which not only disturbs the arrangement of the material packed in the can, but often violently expells it from the can. In an effort to create a gradual transition of the can from the zone of high temperature and pressureto a zone of room temperature and atmospheric pressure, I pass the can through a conduit disposed between the zone of high pressure and temperature and the zone of normal temperature and pressure. The conduit is provided with a series of openings communicating with the atmosphere and by which the air within the conduit is gradually modified as to temperature and pressure. This tends to reduce objectionable disturbance oi. the contents of the can due to volatilizatlon of the liquid within the can. In practicing this invention, however, it has been found that volatilization oi. the liquids tends to occur in a direct path from the bottom of the can to the openings in the conduit, rather than in any uniform manner throughout the contents or the can. The common method now used in processing food products for sterilization is to take the food product in an open can and containing condensed water vapor at high temperature and to move the can from a zone of high steam pressure to atmospheric pressure, thus producing the volatilization of the liquids in the can. This produces an objectionable disturbance within the packed contents of the can regardless of the degree of violence of the action, and in the present structure, I have provided means whereby the volatilization, action may be uniformly controlled throughout the contents of the can, and the path of such volatilization force directed vertically through the product and from the mouth of the can in a manner to create a minimum objectionable disturbance. Such results are obtained by the construction of the can eduction gate H which comprises a substantially circular housing i 5 having an open side communicating with an eduction throat l6 of the main shell of container l0, and with which said eduction throat the can runway ll communicates. Disposed within this housing and substantially fitting therein with a running fit, is a rotary star wheel i'l formed with a plurality of pockets l8 into which the cans i 2 are positioned as the pockets are successively presented to the end of the runway ii. The star wheel is mounted upon a vertical shaft l9 suitably driven by a pulley 20 or other power transmission means. A can outlet runway 2| communicates with a throat 22 in the side wall of the housing l5 and directly communicates with the atmosphere. The depth of each of the pockets measured horizontally is substantially equal to the diameter of the can. These cans are usually formed with an outwardly flaring lip 23. A recessed shoulder 24 is formed adjacent the upper end of each can pocket i8 to accommodate the flared edge of the mouth of the can.

In practicing the invention a product is placed in the cans. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the product is slices of pineapple indicated at 25, which has been placed in the can in its sliced condition, and with the slices disposed flat and superposed upon each other. Disposed above each pocket and directly over the flared mouth of the can is a gride plate 26. This plate is suitably perforated to permit the escape of the products of pineapple and the innerwall of the can. The arcuate openings 28 in the grid plate 20 stand in substantial register with this space. thus, it

will be seen that any fluids which might be exk the can would move along the spaces rather than endeavor to seek atransverse path through the material packed in the can as would be the case in the event the grid 26 was removed and the entry of air to and from the cans was only permitted through the exhaust passageways 3i formed in the side wall 01' the housing l5. These passageways as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing are disposed radially and occur at intervals throughout the length of the wall 01' the can, extending from the throat" to the throat 22. Fig. 3 shows that the passageways 3| are preferably disposed to communicate with the space 32 which occurs between the upper face of the grid 26 of star wheel ll and the cover plate 33 oi the housing l5. In the event that other products are being treated in the cans I2 it may be desirable to rearrange the perforate area of the grid plates 26 in definite relationship to the manner in which the material is packed in the can, and the resulting occurrence of voids throughout the pack, thus it will be evident that in packing such products as string beans, or shelled peas and the like, a foraminous or reticulated grid might be used to advantage. In any event, however, the grid is designed to confine the material within the can during the possible period of volatilization and to establish the paths of travel along which the products of volatilization will move through the pack and exit from the can.

In operation of the present invention, cans are fed from a runway 34 into the valve l3 after having been previously filled with the product, and with the mouths of the cans uncapped. The cans then pass along the runway II within the sterilizer i0, and eventually reach the throat l6 where they are successively positioned within the pockets I8 01' the star wheel ll. As the cans reach these pockets, the star wheel moves in the direction 01' the arrow (1", as indicated in Fig. 2, causing the cans to assume positions in the separate pockets beneath the grid plates 28. The cans successively pass with the star wheel along the wall section of the housing I5 where communication between the pockets and the exterior of the housing is established through the exhaust passageways 3i. These passageways may be of any desired area, and will permit a restricted equalization of atmospheric pressure and temperature within the housing. This will tend to bring about volatilization of material within the cansiand as this takes place, there will be a movement of the fluid within the cans toward the openings 3| and the area outside of the housing where normal atmospheric pressure and temperature prevails. The fluids in their movement, however, must pass upwardly through the openings in the grid plates 26, and due to the position of these openings the direction of the travel will be controlled, whereby a minimum of disturbance of the contents of the can will occur, and in addition the grid plates will act to retain the contents of the can within the can.

As the can moves toward the outlet 22 in the housing IS, the internal pressure and temperature of the product within the can will have been suiiiciently modified to insure that the contents of the can will be substantially at rest when ejected from the star wheel I] and into the runway 2|.

It will thus be seen that by the use of the apparatus here disclosed, it is possible to properly sterilize food products in open cans, thus insuring thorough sterilization, and maintaining other characteristics of the product which add to its appearance, edibility and preservation, while insuring that the can may be subsequently withdrawn from the sterilizing apparatus and thereafter kept without danger of loss of mate rial from the can or, disturbance of the material within the can due to any accompanying volatilization of the fluids therein contained.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of the apparatus of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and that the apparatus of the present invention includes all such changes, modifications, substitutions and equivalents as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1'. A transfer valve for sterilization apparatus.- by which open cans of food products are transferred from a compartment under pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure to the atmosphere, which comprises a housing, can feed means contained within the housing and by g which transfer of the cans is efiected'from the along the path of travel of the cans from the compartment to the outside thereof, and means disposed directly over the open tops of the cans whereby the escape of fluids from the cans will be permitted without allowing the escape of the solid contents thereof.

2. A transfer valve for removing open cans containing food products from a pressure chamber within which a pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure exists to the atmosphere which valve comprises a housing, conveying means therein for the cans, said housing being provided with means for relieving the fluid pressure within and surrounding the cans progressively as the cans move along the conveying means, and grid meinbers over the cans for permitting equalization of fluid pressure within and without the cans -'as they move through the housing.

3. A transfer valve throughwhich an open can containing food products passes in exit from a. compartment having a fluid pressure therein in excess of atmospheric pressure to a zone of lower fluid pressure which comprises a housing through which the open cans pass in exit from the compartment, conveying means for moving the cans through the housing, said housing being provided with means for gradually relieving the fluid pressure tromrthat-of the fluid pressure in the 6:88; the cans' move to the zone of lower: fhlid.pressure,. and grid members disposed over the mouth-ac; the cans as they pass through the housing to retain the solid products within the cans, and whereby the pressures within and without the cans may become equalized as the cans pass through the valve housing.

ALBERT HORNER. 

